"The Traveller's Folly"
The Traveller's Folly is a sailing ship which was purchased by Avein and Zander with which to cross the Marrach Sea. Crew The ship's captain is Vorduun, a grizzled ex-mercenary who has seen his fair share of the world. He pushes his men to the limit and takes no gruff, but always gets the job done. He is not known for smelling pleasant. The crew themselves are hardy seamen who are just crazy enough to put themselves in the kind of peril The Seven encounter daily. They are well-paid, well-fed, and are skilled in other arts such as cooking and healing. Morale is typically high. Adventures Upon setting sail for Dinosaur Isle, the crew was attacked near the Sunset Isles by a stolen galley, the Blood Seeker, led by Huunav, a hobgoblin fighter who led many trolls and orcs into a campaign of violent piracy and terror. Hundreds of elf and human bodies lined the hull of the ship as if trophies. The party swept in, wreathed in golden walls of flame, and laid waste to the entire ship and crew. No trace of the Blood Seeker's evil remained! Unfortunately, several slaves perished in the attack as well, bound together in the cargo hold. The party traced the origins of the prisoners and with heavy heart informed what families they could, after a somber burial ceremony at sea. After docking at El'dacha for repairs and recruits, the Folly sailed forth again, and after a few days began to notice strange weather. Rain and sleet of an un-natural nature bombarded the hull of the ship, and before anyone knew it, giant tentacles the size of grown trees emerged from the watery depths! A hungry kraken lashed out from below, but lost interest in its 'meal' after sustaining many wounds and having its captured prey teleport out from under it! Under cover of inky blackness, the monster escaped to tend its wounds. The Folly reached Dinosaur Isle, where the black knight Magnus and his Rakshasa sorcerors were waiting for them, and nearly killed half the party. After proving themselves yet again, Hralien and his Protector, Alrick, where summoned forth to the realm of Heironeous himself, ascending to the Seven Mounting Heavens! After the Path site was cleared, the group went outside to find everything out-of-place, as if stepping into a darker version of their own world. They sailed again to El'dacha, but found it was a den of evil, not part of Oritannia but under the domain of Vorakan the Black Dragon. Avein and Zerash spotted a servant of Magnus and gave chase in the busy market square. The enemy escaped, and before the party did the same, Archer surrounded the town with walls of sanctified fire which destroyed the evil-doers but kept the good souls intact. Then they set sail again, following the coast to Fort Zennian, which by all accounts was a haven for heroes, since the Zennian in the real world housed the malign Lord Darian, the Enslaver.